Shallow reef tank fish suggestions??

[Reefer_Madness]

So thanks for all the input.  Looks like the general consensus is that I should just bite the bullet and put a screen on.  I'll probably do that.

 

So my pencil list is:

 

Canthigaster puffer of some kind

Pajama Cardinals (3-4)

Bristletooth Tang or Yellow Eyed

A couple of mandarins down the road (1 or 2 years)

Chalk Bass (2)

[epleeds]

I have had chalk bass jump out of my 75. If you don't want shrimp u could do a hawk fish

[Reefer_Madness]

I have had chalk bass jump out of my 75. If you don't want shrimp u could do a hawk fish

I don't do hawk fish. Had a bad experience. Only peaceful fish.

[TrueTricia]

You had a bad experience with a hawk fish???? 

 

This is going to be plumbed to your main tank, right?  I think you could start doing mandarins sooner than 1-2 years.  I've got an insane pod collection going in my tank, and I'm pretty sure there might even be some baby shrimp-like things in there, after 1 year.  My mandarin is fat and happy.  I've added pods 2x to the tank, and I keep macro algae and 2 sponges in the sump.  Some wise MACNA/WAMAS people told me every couple of months to take the sponge and shake it in the main tank to replenish pods. 

[sethsolomon]

 

 

You had a bad experience with a hawk fish????

 

Hawkfish are not reef safe if you didn't know. They will eat decorative shrimp and feather duster.

 

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

[rtelles]

If I'm not mistaken, didn't his last hawkfish also terrorize other reef inhabitants and kill a few, or was that someone else? Beautiful fish, though.

[Reefer_Madness]

If I'm not mistaken, didn't his last hawkfish also terrorize other reef inhabitants and kill a few, or was that someone else? Beautiful fish, though.

That was me. He was like Jason from Friday the 13th. He even eyeballed me through the glass. Mean dude. I gave him to someone with an aggressive tank. He's doing fine.

[TrueTricia]

Yeah, that was my reference to his bad experience.....

[rtelles]

He's with his people now. 

[Reefer_Madness]

So I am going a different direction with fish. I AM going to put a screen on the tank. I was stubborn, but started getting scared/paranoid about carpet surfing fish. I also realized that this shallow reef look down isn't as perfect as it was in my head during the pre-planning stages. Since I am heavy SPS, I have turbulence on the water surface. I can't just walk up and look down at my pretty fish and corals. In my head I would just stroll up to my beautiful tank and appreciate the view. I didn't want to have a screen on the tank because I didn't want to have to lift the screen. I wanted instant gratification. Well that didn't work out so well. In order to see anything I have to turn off the return and powerheads then wait for a few seconds, then the surface is calm enough to see down. Now I figure I will just flip up my screen during that wait. Basically I am going to take the advice given above but ignored earlier

 

Now since I will have a screen, we can talk fish.

 

Current residents

2 Chalk Bass

Bicolor Blenny

Spotted Mandarin

3 Picasso Clowns

Cleaner Shrimp

 

I have a few wrasses in another tank and I love them. I'm going to get 5 wrasses that get along.

 

2 of them I want to be a pair. Would love a pair that look very different from each other. Would also like a pair that actual care about each other rather than a pair that attack each other all the time. A male that shows off for his woman would be cool like the Flame Fairy Wrasse. Anyone ever had a cool pair of wrasses?

[Reefer_Madness]

Femininus Wrasse pair

 

or a Flame Fairy Wrasse pair are at the top of my list. Still researching though.

[Jim Mc]

I personally like Lyretail Anthias but any Anthias seems like it would work with what your doing.